In a decisive move to bolster its infrastructure credentials across Africa, Cassava Technologies has announced the appointment of Marco Gagiano as its new Global Head of Connectivity, effective September 2025.
According to official releases, Gagiano will helm Cassava’s entire connectivity business—spanning fibre, satellite, wireless and wholesale voice—across the continent. This appointment comes as part of the group’s push to deepen its influence in digital infrastructure and services.
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A Seasoned Telecom Executive Takes the Helm
Marco Gagiano is no stranger to high-stakes roles in the telecoms sector. With over twenty years’ experience in Africa, Europe and the Middle East, he has occupied senior positions at the likes of MTN, Vodacom and Vodafone. His portfolio of skills includes product strategy, digital transformation, commercial growth and operational oversight.
Cassava’s leadership is banking on this depth of experience to guide its connectivity division through challenging terrain—technical, regulatory and commercial. With Gagiano at the forefront, Cassava aims to ensure that its connectivity operations are not just expansive but also efficient, resilient and tightly aligned with market demands.
In a statement, Cassava welcomed Gagiano and expressed confidence that he would bring the necessary leadership to scale the group’s network ambitions.
The Role of Connectivity in Cassava’s Ambitions
Cassava Technologies has built a vertically integrated ecosystem that spans digital infrastructure, services and fintech. Among its core business units are Liquid Intelligent Technologies, Liquid C2, Africa Data Centres, Distributed Power Africa, and Sasai Fintech.
Connectivity serves as the backbone of that ecosystem. A weak or fragmented network arm would hamper performance across services—from data centres and cloud offerings to enterprise solutions and fintech operations. By placing a focused leader on connectivity, Cassava is signalling that it recognises the centrality of network quality, capacity and reliability in delivering on its ambitions.
Gagiano’s remit will include oversight of fibre deployment, satellite link management, wireless network expansion and wholesale voice operations across Cassava’s African footprint. He will be responsible for driving coherence and growth across those domains, ensuring that they work in synergy rather than as isolated silos.
This leadership shift also sends messages beyond internal reorganisation—it is a signal to investors, regulators and partners that Cassava is serious about its infrastructure commitments. The telecoms and connectivity space is capital-intensive, technically complex, and subject to varied regulation across countries. Having a senior, experienced executive in charge helps Cassava manage risk, negotiate regulatory landscapes, and maintain momentum in rollouts.
What This Means for Nigeria and Africa at Large
For Nigeria in particular, this appointment carries weight. As one of Africa’s largest markets by population and data demand, Nigeria stands to gain when companies like Cassava deepen their connectivity resolve. Better fibre networks, more resilient wireless systems, enhanced satellite coverage and improved wholesale voice services all create a more enabling environment for digital business, public services, education, healthcare, and more.
For enterprises and startups, reduced latency, greater bandwidth, and more stable links help unlock new possibilities—cloud hosting, remote operations, streaming, e-commerce and beyond. For citizens, especially in underserved or rural areas, improved rollouts may help narrow the digital divide. Cassava’s reinforced focus on connectivity could support national goals around broadband penetration, digital inclusion and infrastructure development.
Across Africa more broadly, the move underscores an important trend: connectivity leadership is becoming not just about laying fibre or launching satellites, but about integrating network quality, cross-border consistency and commercial discipline. With Gagiano in his role, Cassava is positioning itself to compete with regional and global players for critical infrastructure and service contracts.
Yet challenges remain. Differences in regulatory regimes, power availability, terrain, right-of-way access, capital costs and geopolitical tensions all affect connectivity projects. Gagiano inherits a demanding agenda. Success will depend not only on execution but on stakeholder alignment—governments, regulators, local communities and partners.
Still, the appointment reflects a positive signal: that Cassava is doubling down on the connectivity component of its value chain. If Gagiano succeeds, the benefits may ripple across its group operations and across the contested digital landscape of Africa.
Conclusion
The naming of Marco Gagiano as Global Head of Connectivity marks a pivotal moment for Cassava Technologies. It is more than a leadership change—it is a reassertion of priorities. For Nigeria and for the continent, it may herald stronger, more reliable infrastructure and renewed momentum in the journey toward a fully digital Africa.
Let me know if you’d like me to prepare a companion piece (e.g. “How this fits into Nigeria’s telecom landscape”), or generate meta tags, a headline options list, or social media blurbs.
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